Through the Realms of the Time Lords
by timelady1210
Summary: When Vivian and Aranne take a trip to the Sci-Fi Museum to see Doctor Who memorabilia, their visit takes an unexpected turn when they step aboard the Tardis as a Time Lord and Time Agent return...
1. She Did It

"What the—Aranne, I thought you said the tickets were fifteen bucks!" Vivian hissed to her friend so as to not draw attention to themselves.

"That's what it said online," the other girl defended. "No, they were twelve! Twelve with ID. Why they are twenty, I do not know…"

The tickets the two girls were attempting to purchase were for the Experience Music Project/ Science Fiction Museum. Earlier in the week Vivian had spotted an advert stating that the museum had come in possession of some Doctor Who memorabilia, and not being able to let it go heckled Aranne until she agreed to tag along.

"Don't' you have enough for it though?" Aranne asked with knit brows.

"Yeah, but… I was gonna get stuff from the gift shop," Vivian replied sheepishly, scratching at her mop of red hair. "Some Tardis piggy bank or something."

"Why don't you just get one in _Glasgow_?" she taunted, and received a dark look.

"I won't get one in _Glasgow_, because one the show's based in London, _England_, not Glasgow, _Scotland_, and two it'd probably cost fifty quid or something," Vivian retorted matter-of-factly. Scowling at the price board she surrendered and started to dig through her shoulder bag – the one her mother made her bring – and retrieved a twenty-dollar bill from her wallet.

"I am sacrificing you, piggy bank," she muttered to the sign, and Aranne stifled a snort. "It'd best be worth it."

"Aw, cheer up, Viv," Aranne said sympathetically, holding back laughter. "Look, there's some nice and shiny guitars. Mmm, shiny…"

* * *

Five minutes later they had made it through the music portion of the museum, and right off the bat were display cases and info boards, all in relation to the Doctor. With a giddy spring in her step Vivian went and pressed her nose against the glass, Aranne shuffling along behind her and rolling her ice-green eyes.

"Oh, coolness, Four's scarf," said Vivian in awe, then moving to the next case danced upon her toes and suppressed a squeal.

"What now?" Aranne sighed.

"Sonic screwdriver sonic screwdriver sonic screwdriver!" she squeaked, beaming at her friend in sheer joy.

"Ugh, you're hopeless!" she exclaimed, a smidge too loudly, but looking around saw they were the only visitors. Giving a skulking sigh Aranne shuffled her feet along, looking at the ground until she was compelled to glance up. A towering blue box with unlit window panes below the words "POLICE BOX" was standing rather inconspicuously in an open alcove as a beam of rare Seattle sunlight shone around it, illuminating dust particles as they drifted past. Despite her feeling of indifference goose bumps prickled all across her skin, the utterly uninteresting box somehow snaring her fascination.

"Viv, what is that?" she asked with a wrinkled nose. "Looks like a phone booth."

Vivian, who was still drooling over the sonic screwdrivers, reluctantly turned around to see what her friend had to show her, and taking in the battered Tardis her blue eyes widened in awe.

"I-it's the Tardis," she whispered, slowly walking over to it and taking it in with wonder. "It really is the Tardis."

"Obviously it's not THE Tardis," Aranne scoffed, walking up behind her to take it in from a different angle.

"Obviously," retorted Vivian, not bothering to turn around. "And way to crush my good mood like that. But really, look at it. D'you get the feeling that it's kinda not there?"

"I thought that was just me," she blinked, and suddenly Vivian started digging through her bag again. "What now?"

"Satisfying my geekishness," she replied, and pulling out a pair of 3D glasses a grin spread across her face.

"What the hell, Viv?!" Aranne demanded, looking like she had just said goodbye to her friend's sanity.

"It was in an episode of the show," she explained in a rush, jamming them on her nose and smiling at her. "Anyone who's traveled through time -- or was it dimensions? I forget – would have void stuff floating all around them. I'm not sure if the same applies to objects, but seeing as it's the Tardis it might have something. And shut up! I'm having fun," she grinned, yet as she turned to investigate her smile shrunk as her eyes grew.

"What is it?" Aranne demanded after the silence stretched on and she watched Vivian hold out her hand to bat at what appeared to be nothing, then rushed to her and forced the glasses on her.

"Put them on, look at it," she said quickly, and obliging in confusion looked. At first it looked as if nothing were amiss, but then she saw something, movement, a more fluid matter than the dust that still floated through the air.

"And what is this void stuff, exactly?" she inquired, her voice shaking slightly as she handed back the glasses.

"Dunno, really," she replied rather sheepishly, as if ashamed that she didn't know. "I think it's just kind of like dirt picked up from traveling, like a car that hasn't seen soapy water in a while."

"Well if that's the case then it's filthy," Aranne said in disgust, and Vivian looked hurt.

"He's been traveling for about nine hundred years, and I bet void stuff doesn't come off as easily as mud," she defended. "Although technically it's been a bit longer, seeing as he stole it…"

"Oh, so this Doctor's a thief, then," she laughed incredulously. "Perfect…"

"He had a good reason!" She paused. "I don't know what it might have been, but I'm sure it was decent enough." Gingerly she placed a hand against the worn blue-painted wood, then without warning pressed herself against it, giving the Tardis the best hug she could muster. "I wonder if they know that it's the real thing," she murmured, and reluctantly pulling herself away walked over to the nearest display board and started to read.

"Probably not," she replied, and following suit scanned the other boards nearby.

"Nothing," Vivian finished in confused wonder, and as she glanced at the Tardis again her eyes grew to the size of saucers. "That door was NOT open ten seconds ago."

"Was not me, honest," defended Aranne, and in investigation went and peered through the door, only to leap backwards in surprise.

"What is it?" Vivian demanded.

"It's bigger on the inside!" she hissed, dashing back and forth to confirm. In three great strides Vivian came to the door, hands bracing against the sides and with one foot inside. "Whoa, whoa, where do you think you're going?"

"Inside, duh."

"I don't think so! I'm not bailing you out."

"I'm not gonna touch anything! I just want to look."

"Have you heard that curiosity killed the cat?"

"Yeah, and that satisfaction brought it back! You aren't stopping me," and with that stepped all the way inside.

Immediately Vivian could tell that this was the real Tardis. Not just the fact that the center console was partially lit and softly humming, or that the inside was maybe thirty times bigger than the outside. The feeling she got, the muted buzz in the air that felt like a shadow of electricity. Somehow she knew it was the blends of air from other lands, from every time the Doctor opened the door to a fresh gust of unfamiliar wind that never got the chance to back out. Her skin prickling at the sensation she walked the rest of the way up the ramp, and coming to the center console jammed her hands into her pockets to keep from accidentally touching something she knew she shouldn't. Without turning to watch she could hear Aranne rush inside before slowing to a full stop, undoubtedly gawking at the sights around her, then pattered up beside Vivian.

"So this is the Tardis?" Aranne asked quietly.

"This is the Tardis," she sighed. Placing the glasses back on her nose she looked about, walking towards the edges of the room with Aranne following behind. As Vivian scrutinized the walls two voices sounded from outside in the museum, and glancing at Aranne with building fear dashed to the door, but seeing two men striding towards nothing but the Tardis were forced to hide.

"And you thought disabling my vortex manipulator was a good idea," said one of the men in a sarcastic, slightly cocky tone edged with laughter.

"It was a good idea!" scoffed the other man, and detecting his accent Vivian immediately knew who had stepped aboard the Tardis. "No way was I going to chase you all across the reaches of time and space just to keep you from flirting with someone from every decade," the Doctor stated flatly.

"Aw, so considerate," replied Jack. "But see, aren't you glad I had it, and you coincidentally were wandering around Cardiff and got picked up through our scans? Who knows what mayhem you could have started if you were left wandering all over. Speaking of which, how exactly did you lose the Tardis?"

"I just lost it!" retorted the Doctor, and Vivian could hear them halt at the door. "Now that's weird."

"Was it locked when you left it?" asked Jack in concerned confusion.

"Yeah, it was. Doesn't look like anyone barged their way in." For a moment he paused, then sighed "If it was anything bad then the Tardis'd have gotten it locked up in something. Quick check—" he dashed to the console and flicked some switches, "—nope, nothing. Alrighty, then. Home we go?"

"Home we go," Jack repeated, and Aranne and Vivian exchanged glances, the former with fear and the latter with disbelief.

"Oh, bugger!"

The speed with which the Doctor and Jack whirled about surely must have been a trait of time masters, Vivian thought. Both had expressions of sheer confusion, but the Doctor looked purely bewildered, gaping in the attempt to form words.

Vivian, still wearing her 3D glasses and air of incredulity, caught what he was trying to ask and her hand immediately shot up, pointed an accusatory finger at Aranne and said "She did it."


	2. Just Fish, Apples and Rain

"How-how did you get in?" the Doctor asked, utterly confounded.

"The door was open," Vivian replied meekly. "It was closed when we first saw it, but after we turned away for a second it was open. We didn't touch anything, either," she added, and remembering the 3D glasses she still wore whisked them off her nose, flushing a deep red in embarrassment.

"You're sure you didn't do anything? It just opened?" pressed the Doctor, ignoring the glasses.

"She hugged it," Aranne offered, and Vivian shot her a dark look. Jack sniggered and received the same.

"You…hugged it. The Tardis," the Doctor repeated, the corner of his mouth turned up in amusement.

"Yeah, I did," Vivian answered, holding her head up as if daring him to try and taunt her. "I have great respect for you and your work, so I couldn't help but express a bit of excitement when I saw what looked and felt like the real Tardis."

"And in celebration you put on some 3D glasses?" Jack inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Captain, I hold you in high esteem as well. Don't give me a reason to change my mind," she shot back, and he held up his hands in surrender.

"Hang on, _felt_ different? And how do you know about the glasses?" the Doctor questioned.

"Looking at the Tardis it gives you the feeling that it belongs, however out of place a police box is in a not-history museum. I double-checked with the glasses to see if it was my imagination or not, and the void stuff confirmed it was real. As for the second question, there's a television show about you and your adventures, and I watch it all the time. You have one too, Jack. Torchwood seems… interesting," she explained, carefully choosing adjectives. Jack laughed.

"Blimey, I'd heard about that," the Doctor trailed off, scratching his head and taking a pace. "But how does someone like you from a place like this hear about a fellow like me from nearly halfway across the earth? There aren't any aliens here, just fish, apples and rain."

"Hey, that's our home you're talking about there!" Aranne piped up defensively, taking the others by surprise.

"But it's the truth!" the Doctor defended, but was obviously remorseful. "I'm nine hundred and three years old and I've not been here once! For that you should be thankful."

"Says you," Vivian replied sullenly.

"Wha? Move up here, I can hardly hear you. I won't bite as long as you don't."

Casting a nervous glance at Aranne she tugged her along as she came up to the center console, to the Doctor and Jack. "I said 'says you' cos nothing exciting ever happens here, just riots and murders. Alien attack? Oh, that changes it all."

"You are without a doubt the strangest stranger I've ever met," Jack mused.

"Should I take that as a compliment?"

"You should take it as I still have no idea who you are," he responded with a grin.

"Oh, don't start!" complained the Doctor, throwing his arms up.

"I'm being polite," he replied innocently. "Surely you haven't become so barbaric in my absence?" He kissed the girls' hands as they attempted handshakes.

"Aranne Cooper."

"Vivian Smith. And don't bother hitting on me, Captain Harkness. I know your game and I'm not interested," she said wryly.

"Who said I was after you?" he bantered, obviously amused.

"Just making things clear."

Jack turned to Aranne. "I take it you're off-limits too?" She nodded fervently. "O for two in twenty-first century…"

"So, I'm curious," said the Doctor, hands in pockets as he shuffled slightly. "You say you respect my work, but how much of it do you know, exactly?"

"What do you want to know?"

"What is the Tardis?"

"It's your spaceship. Stands for Time and Relative Dimensions in Space. It looks like a police box cos the chameleon circuit's faulty. Oh, and it's a Mackenzie Trench-styled one from the 1950s. Stolen, obsolete, Type 40. Yeah, that's it," she finished, making a face and the lacking finish.

"How about me?" Jack offered. "What is my sad excuse for a wristwatch called?"

"Oi, it's still my turn!" the Doctor countered, pulling from within his jacket a pen-like device. "And this?"

Aranne's hand shot into the air and both girls simultaneously said "Sonic screwdriver!", and looking blankly at each other broke into grins.

"And Jack, that's a vortex manipulator," she added. "A space hopper to the Doctor's sports car. You already said that."

"You don't know how to steer this do you?" the Doctor asked quickly, fighting a grin.

"No," Vivian replied, sounding slightly crestfallen. "I'd have to be a Time Lady to learn how, it'd take so long."

"What's a Time Lady?" Aranne interrupted.

"Female Time Lord," the Doctor answered. "We travel through time and space in our Tardises—"

"—That don't always look like police boxes," Vivian added, and continued before the Doctor had a chance. "Time Lords can life for ages, for decades and centuries, and whey they die they can cheat death and regenerate, start life anew, but can only pull that off twelve times. The Doctor's in his tenth regeneration. Has been for about a year. A human year, anyways. I dunno what it'd be if you calculated up with all the traveling and everything, though," she rambled. The Doctor had snared her with a growing smile of approval and was finding it difficult to break away or focus.

"Alright, do you have a real name?" demanded Aranne with light annoyance. "Why are you called the Doctor?"

A smile of her own had started upon Vivian's face. "Cos he makes everything better."

"Would you two just kiss and get it over with already?" Jack said loudly after a pause, making the Doctor roll his eyes.

"Well, you've quite obviously proved you know your stuff, so… what do you say? Wanna go for a spin?"

Vivian blinked, his words not comprehending. "You mean time travel? In the Tardis? With you? Through time?"

"Mmm generally involving those, yeah."

"You mean it?" she pressed, not believing what she was hearing.

"Pretty sure, yeah."

"Gladly," she grinned, beaming.

Turning to Aranne he added "How 'bout you? The enthusiasm with the sonic screwdriver was quite flattering, by the way."

Aranne smiled sheepishly. "Sounds good to me."

"Jack? Come with or Cardiff?"

"Haven't had a call begging me to come home yet, so why not? I'll supervise," he offered, and the girls fought the urge to roll their eyes, Vivian losing.

"You don't quite have to be a Time Lady to operate the Tardis. Well, it helps. Well, you kinda need to, I suppose. Right, basic training in Time Travel is rather helpful if you intend to fly a Tardis, and seeing as I'm the best teacher you'll find you're in luck." Placing fingers on two levers he explained "When I say go, pull on these as hard as you can. Sound easy enough?" She nodded quickly. "Good! You know, a destination would be good to have, wouldn't it? Seeing as you're sort of second-in-command, in training, you tell me, where are we headed?"

For a few moments Vivian paused, trying to get over the fact that she was referred to as 'second-in-command' to and by the Doctor, then tilted her head up with her reply.

"Wherever she wants to go. The Tardis."

"Wha –"

"The Tardis, she's a ship. Ships are always shes."

"You've got yourself a sharp second-in-command, Doctor," Jack laughed, and Vivian flushed.

"Let's hope so! You have been a good judge of character," the Doctor murmured, apparently to no one but Vivian knew to whom he referred. "So! When I say 'go', pull on those." Twisting a few dials and pressing some buttons he called over his shoulder "You might want to hold onto something."

"Hey!"

"I said 'might'" the Doctor defended, and flicking a switch the Tardis started to hum, the center console glowing and moving. "Ready? Go!"


End file.
